J. Frank Parnell:Gifted Many Few: Not really. Video games are one of the few "hobbies" that doesn't require you to get off your ass.

Actually, most hobbies are like that. The ones which involve physical activity are usually called sports.

No, video games are the laziest of the hobbies. The only activity there is going to the store and buying the game. Even that is being circumvented by Gamefly and DLCs. Name me another you can do if you literally had no legs and were glued to the couch.

Gifted Many Few:J. Frank Parnell: Gifted Many Few: Not really. Video games are one of the few "hobbies" that doesn't require you to get off your ass.

Actually, most hobbies are like that. The ones which involve physical activity are usually called sports.

No, video games are the laziest of the hobbies. The only activity there is going to the store and buying the game. Even that is being circumvented by Gamefly and DLCs. Name me another you can do if you literally had no legs and were glued to the couch.

Gifted Many Few:J. Frank Parnell: Gifted Many Few: Not really. Video games are one of the few "hobbies" that doesn't require you to get off your ass.

Actually, most hobbies are like that. The ones which involve physical activity are usually called sports.

No, video games are the laziest of the hobbies. The only activity there is going to the store and buying the game. Even that is being circumvented by Gamefly and DLCs. Name me another you can do if you literally had no legs and were glued to the couch.

It could be worse. He could be an audiophile, and enjoy listening to music for hours on end, sitting in the "sweet spot" with the lights turned off (because it sounds better that way).

scottydoesntknow:Maybe you should try and get involved with his activity instead of acting like a passive-agressive biatch.

CSB: I kinda hid my gaming from my girlfriend when we first started dating. Never turned it on or talked about any of the games I bought because I figured she didn't care. About 3 months in we're watching TV and she asks "Why don't you ever turn on your Xbox?" I told her it was because I figured she didn't like it. She then asks what games I play and wanted to try one out herself. I had her play Mass Effect. She didn't really get the shooting down too much (has a bad habit of only using one thumb at a time, so she'd run forward, stop turn, stop, run forward, etc.) but eventually got the hang of it and fell in love with the story. She's currently a Lvl 37 Commander on ME2 and loves telling people that (She hates that stuck-up biatch Miranda). We alternate playing now, do co-op, she uses the Kinect to exercise, got into PC gaming a little bit, mainly playing Sims, but started playing Fallout: NV recently.

/CSB

This is similar to my wife and I. She knew I liked playing video games well before we got married, and I think that's important to know. I got a few games that she'd like so we could try to play co-op. We have a PS2, and she loved the Baldur's Gate and Champions of Norath games. We started by playing through together, and it was fun doing that. Then she'd go back through by herself and see what she could do. The latest game that dominated both our lives was Puzzle Quest. She saw me playing it and practically wrestled the controller away from me and wound up finishing it before I did, even though I started way ahead of her. She's not as big a gamer as I am, but she does enjoy it and gets why I will always be a gamer.

That's the thing. Even if you don't like their hobbies as much as they do, you need to at least respect their pursuits and know enough so you can talk about them. You need to understand that these hobbies are part of this person, and if it's a major part of their life, like gaming is for a lot of us, then if you hate that part of them, you two might not be that compatible.

Of course, there is a difference between a hobbiest and someone who lives 24/7 in games. If they can't prioritize the relationship over the game, that's a problem. It's all about balance, and you have to understand that you can't play games the way you did as a kid.

scottydoesntknow:Maybe you should try and get involved with his activity instead of acting like a passive-agressive biatch.

CSB: I kinda hid my gaming from my girlfriend when we first started dating. Never turned it on or talked about any of the games I bought because I figured she didn't care. About 3 months in we're watching TV and she asks "Why don't you ever turn on your Xbox?" I told her it was because I figured she didn't like it. She then asks what games I play and wanted to try one out herself. I had her play Mass Effect. She didn't really get the shooting down too much (has a bad habit of only using one thumb at a time, so she'd run forward, stop turn, stop, run forward, etc.) but eventually got the hang of it and fell in love with the story. She's currently a Lvl 37 Commander on ME2 and loves telling people that (She hates that stuck-up biatch Miranda). We alternate playing now, do co-op, she uses the Kinect to exercise, got into PC gaming a little bit, mainly playing Sims, but started playing Fallout: NV recently.

/CSB

I got mine on fable 3. I was able to use my character in co-op to kind of walk her through the first part without get beat and discouraged and it was fun to interact. she now plays the xbox more than I do (loves the AC games for solo and gears for co-op)

J. Frank Parnell:She wishes he'd watch more TV instead? Because passively staring at a screen is so much better, right?

Really says something for the sad state of things when watching TV is considered doing something together.

That was my ex. She'd make a biatch-face when I was playing Mass Effect or Fallout for a few hours a day, but did I give a shiat she was watching endless marathons of whatever TV series on Netflix she was currently hooked on? Nope.

Gifted Many Few:J. Frank Parnell: Gifted Many Few: Not really. Video games are one of the few "hobbies" that doesn't require you to get off your ass.

Actually, most hobbies are like that. The ones which involve physical activity are usually called sports.

No, video games are the laziest of the hobbies. The only activity there is going to the store and buying the game. Even that is being circumvented by Gamefly and DLCs. Name me another you can do if you literally had no legs and were glued to the couch.

TV. Movies. Reading. Music enjoyment. Composing poetry. Painting. Even writing or playing music (depending on the instrument).

Video games are just another form of media. No more, no less. IMO, most of the dislike for them comes from people who have not yet realized that video games are not inherently for children. I wonder if these are the same morons who buy M rated video games for their kids and then biatch about the violence and adult content.

Gifted Many Few:J. Frank Parnell: Gifted Many Few: Not really. Video games are one of the few "hobbies" that doesn't require you to get off your ass.

Actually, most hobbies are like that. The ones which involve physical activity are usually called sports.

No, video games are the laziest of the hobbies. The only activity there is going to the store and buying the game. Even that is being circumvented by Gamefly and DLCs. Name me another you can do if you literally had no legs and were glued to the couch.

scottydoesntknow:Maybe you should try and get involved with his activity instead of acting like a passive-agressive biatch.

CSB: I kinda hid my gaming from my girlfriend when we first started dating. Never turned it on or talked about any of the games I bought because I figured she didn't care. About 3 months in we're watching TV and she asks "Why don't you ever turn on your Xbox?" I told her it was because I figured she didn't like it. She then asks what games I play and wanted to try one out herself. I had her play Mass Effect. She didn't really get the shooting down too much (has a bad habit of only using one thumb at a time, so she'd run forward, stop turn, stop, run forward, etc.) but eventually got the hang of it and fell in love with the story. She's currently a Lvl 37 Commander on ME2 and loves telling people that (She hates that stuck-up biatch Miranda). We alternate playing now, do co-op, she uses the Kinect to exercise, got into PC gaming a little bit, mainly playing Sims, but started playing Fallout: NV recently.

/CSB

I have had a similar experience with my husband's love for sci-fi movies and shows. I've always hated sci-fi and swore that would be "his thing, not mine", but once he got me watching "Battlestar Galactica" (the new version), I've been more understanding and even hooked. I still can't get into Star Trek, but I am a hard-core Whovian now thanks to him.

Wow...for once Prudence gave some decent advice. In a nutshell: "Get over yourself, girl. He isn't cheating, or gorging on porn, or gambling. Try NOT being a biatch about it for a couple of months and see if he isn't more willing to flex on the time spent gaming after that"

Theaetetus:ladyfortuna: I met Lordfortuna through match.com, but we first 'met' in WoW before having a real life meeting. We play lots of games together, except for lately I'm playing Halo 4 and he hates console shooters, so he's not entirely happy about it, but he'll get over it.

For his next birthday:http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Mouse-Keyboard-Converter-Playstation-3/d p/ B0040UAYI4

Do not get that! It doesn't work and they won't fix or support it. Hell, I'll give you the one sitting at the bottom of my used pc parts bin.

Theaetetus:Plant Rights Activist: Theaetetus: ladyfortuna: I met Lordfortuna through match.com, but we first 'met' in WoW before having a real life meeting. We play lots of games together, except for lately I'm playing Halo 4 and he hates console shooters, so he's not entirely happy about it, but he'll get over it.

For his next birthday:http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Mouse-Keyboard-Converter-Playstation-3/ d p/ B0040UAYI4

CSB #1: I met my wife when we were both 19. After a few really good dates she started hanging around the house more. I told her right away that I liked playing games. She, of course, was like "oh that's fine, whatever". I prefer heding my bets so after we dated for a few months she walked into my room and sat on the bed (everyone else was home, no hanky panky that day). I put in a game and handed her the controller. "What's this?" She said. "A newer game I have" I said. You are going to play it. I taught her what a few of the things on the screen meant and from there let her have at it.8 days and 45 gameplay hours later, she could hand anything it's ass in Final Fantasy 9. Didn't hear nothing about games till we had been married for about 7 years or so which leads into...

CSB #2: So my wife wass annoyed that I had gotten to the point I was spending a solid 20 hours every week (2-3 every weeknight and 10-15 hours every weekend) playing games. To the point she'd have to drag me away and I'd be whiney about it. I made a compromise. We set certain days every week where *THESE ARE HER DAYS*. No games, unless she wants to play something, watching shows we both enjoy, chill out together. We can spend other days and what not doing that. I work better off a scehdule. If I know "these are times where I am not going to get on the Xbox", I work better.

Because I am not captain pouty pants about not playing games for a few nights(and actually spending time with the woman you married is a good thing) it works out ALOT better. Oh and being able to DVR stuff and let it build up helps too. Sure, sometimes I want to get on and play games. Just like she would prefer I barely play them at all. It works.

I know how that can be a self-perpetuating cycle. You play a game to retreat because you're wife is treating you like crap. You play more, she treats you even worse because you're playing, which makes you spend more time online, which makes her biatch more, which makes you play more, etc.

It sucks and you have to break the cycle. It does get easier when the wife decides she'd actually like to spend time with you and not be such a cold, hateful person.

akula:TV. Movies. Reading. Music enjoyment. Composing poetry. Painting. Even writing or playing music (depending on the instrument).

I'll concede poetry, painting and music because they are creating something. The most an online gamer does is create a character and an oh so witty double entendre name. The TV, moves and music listening to are way too passive to be considered hobbies. My dog likes doing those. Reading, I am on the fence about. I do find people that read a lot more educated than a hobby gamer.

Adolf Oliver Nipples: She probably watches more TV or reads more than that every week. What's the difference?

Playing Devil's advocate: reading or watching TV are not as "exclusive" an activity as video games are. Have you ever walked up to someone reading a book to ask a question and were told "Not now! I'm in the middle of a chapter!" Video games can be seen much more as a solitary, I'm-ignoring-you activity - thus the feeling of abandonment by the non-playing party.

So, basically, his free time is spent on video games and, being a psychotic, clingy biatch with no perspective and an enormous ego she's upset that he expects her to have her own hobbies as well that she can occupy herself with for brief periods instead of him doting constantly on her and affirming her life for her.

My wife and I were having this argument periodically at one point in our marriage while I still played WoW. I basically snapped on her one day and told her that it wasn't my fault that she didn't know how to entertain herself in her free time and it wasn't my job to constantly fish around for hobbies for her, but if she ever found something I'd be more than happy to join her in it.

She found something after that. Now we ski together in the winter and do little home improvement projects around the house together in the summer and I play video games during my personal time and she watches TV or plays little iPad games.

Amazing how that works.

/ some women get very annoyed at men's hobbies that require concentration because it means they don't get constant attention themselves// these women, if they can't be made to get over it, should be dumped/divorced ASAP because it will only be a constant source of simmering resentment

Gifted Many Few:No, video games are the laziest of the hobbies. The only activity there is going to the store and buying the game. Even that is being circumvented by Gamefly and DLCs. Name me another you can do if you literally had no legs and were glued to the couch.

Reading. eReaders and Tablets let you stay at home as well. Knitting? Puzzles? Movies? TV?

I will argue though that gaming can be social though. You have voice chat in games. I don't mean chatting with 12 year olds. I mean getting a group of friends together and playing. I joined a CoD clan back in the CoD 1 days and still play Battlefield and other games with those guys using TeamSpeak. WoW can be very social as well.

It is just a case of moderation, just like any other past time. 10-20 hours a week is not a lot.

Gifted Many Few:akula: TV. Movies. Reading. Music enjoyment. Composing poetry. Painting. Even writing or playing music (depending on the instrument).

I'll concede poetry, painting and music because they are creating something. The most an online gamer does is create a character and an oh so witty double entendre name. The TV, moves and music listening to are way too passive to be considered hobbies. My dog likes doing those. Reading, I am on the fence about. I do find people that read a lot more educated than a hobby gamer.

It does depend on what they read. If all they read is books by Ann Coulter and her ilk, they just might get dumber the more they read.

89 Stick-Up Kid:serial_crusher: He spends several hours a week (10-20) playing these online games!

Wow, this guy needs to talk to a divorce lawyer ASAP. That woman is crazy

^This. Why do people think they need to date these horrible women? The world is full of cool chicks who actually dig the nerdy things guys do.

I'm not talking about whether or not she "digs" the video games herself, just that 10-20 hours a week doing something without her is perfectly reasonable. If she started playing video games with him for 10-20 hours a week, he'd be perfectly within his right mind to go find something else to do for 10-20 hours a week. What ever happened to "me time"?

Gifted Many Few:J. Frank Parnell: Gifted Many Few: Not really. Video games are one of the few "hobbies" that doesn't require you to get off your ass.

Actually, most hobbies are like that. The ones which involve physical activity are usually called sports.

No, video games are the laziest of the hobbies. The only activity there is going to the store and buying the game. Even that is being circumvented by Gamefly and DLCs. Name me another you can do if you literally had no legs and were glued to the couch.

I can't really stop at one: Reading, listening to music, watching tv, designing/building electronic, writing software, getting an education online, communicate with people around the world. None of these require more physical activity than gaming.

Gifted Many Few:J. Frank Parnell: Gifted Many Few: Not really. Video games are one of the few "hobbies" that doesn't require you to get off your ass.

Actually, most hobbies are like that. The ones which involve physical activity are usually called sports.

No, video games are the laziest of the hobbies. The only activity there is going to the store and buying the game. Even that is being circumvented by Gamefly and DLCs. Name me another you can do if you literally had no legs and were glued to the couch.

My non video game hobby is building model tanks, and other than some outdoor spray painting I do it all sitting on my ass.

meat0918:serial_crusher: He spends several hours a week (10-20) playing these online games!

Wow, this guy needs to talk to a divorce lawyer ASAP. That woman is crazy

I just have one thing to say to this guy.

Amateur.

Married, two kids, and we play video games together.

Also, Munchkin.

//The kids aren't old enough yet for Cards Against Humanity

Favorited. CAH is amazing.

Came here to say: He married the wrong woman. Foolish choice.

Meanwhile, I know my man loves me because he set up for me the better of his dual monitors with my PS3 (it had the HDMI port) so we could game together. He plays a lot of XCOM and Mech Warrior and I play a lot of Amalur, LA Noire and Uncharted.

/happy relationship//why you can't carry more damn ammo in uncharted is beyond me

My GF was a big gamer in the 2D days of NES / SNES, and can still kick my ass at super mario. She never figured out the whole change to 3D, went so far as to buy a N64 to start her at the beginning, but she just can't get into it, humps the wall in the corner on any FPS she tries.

She does however love good puzzle games, like Safe Cracker and Puzzle Agent 1 / 2

Can anyone recommend a couple good puzzle games from over the years?

Myst and 7th Guest are the obvious choices, but I'd like to find some on the consoles, I have the big 3 (PS3, 360, Wii)

NightSteel:There are plenty of other habits that could be in place of 'video games' here. What if the guy was a gearhead and liked to work on his project car every day?

10-20 hours a week is equivalent to about 1.5-3 hours per day. It'd be like watching a movie or a ballgame every evening. That's really not so much.

There's a huge difference.

Someone who knows how to wrench can make a business out of it. Restore that old car and you can monetize its sale. You could start a business restoring cars. You end up with something of value and that value can be transferred to someone else.

I've had a longtime hobby that's becoming a career in my semi-retirement.

Had I spent the past 15 years playing games, I wouldn't have shiat.

You can't take 100 hours of gameplay and sell it or give it to someone. 100 hours in my shop produces tangible goods that can be used or sold.

scottydoesntknow:Maybe you should try and get involved with his activity instead of acting like a passive-agressive biatch.

CSB: I kinda hid my gaming from my girlfriend when we first started dating. Never turned it on or talked about any of the games I bought because I figured she didn't care. About 3 months in we're watching TV and she asks "Why don't you ever turn on your Xbox?" I told her it was because I figured she didn't like it. She then asks what games I play and wanted to try one out herself. I had her play Mass Effect. She didn't really get the shooting down too much (has a bad habit of only using one thumb at a time, so she'd run forward, stop turn, stop, run forward, etc.) but eventually got the hang of it and fell in love with the story. She's currently a Lvl 37 Commander on ME2 and loves telling people that (She hates that stuck-up biatch Miranda). We alternate playing now, do co-op, she uses the Kinect to exercise, got into PC gaming a little bit, mainly playing Sims, but started playing Fallout: NV recently.

/CSB

Rarely do I think CSBs are actually C, but that's a pretty CSB. /highfive

L.D. Ablo:NightSteel: There are plenty of other habits that could be in place of 'video games' here. What if the guy was a gearhead and liked to work on his project car every day?

10-20 hours a week is equivalent to about 1.5-3 hours per day. It'd be like watching a movie or a ballgame every evening. That's really not so much.

There's a huge difference.

Someone who knows how to wrench can make a business out of it. Restore that old car and you can monetize its sale. You could start a business restoring cars. You end up with something of value and that value can be transferred to someone else.

I've had a longtime hobby that's becoming a career in my semi-retirement.

Had I spent the past 15 years playing games, I wouldn't have shiat.

You can't take 100 hours of gameplay and sell it or give it to someone. 100 hours in my shop produces tangible goods that can be used or sold.

SuperChuck:Gifted Many Few: J. Frank Parnell: Gifted Many Few: Not really. Video games are one of the few "hobbies" that doesn't require you to get off your ass.

Actually, most hobbies are like that. The ones which involve physical activity are usually called sports.

No, video games are the laziest of the hobbies. The only activity there is going to the store and buying the game. Even that is being circumvented by Gamefly and DLCs. Name me another you can do if you literally had no legs and were glued to the couch.

Housewife

/runs

DontMakeMeComeBackThere:Adolf Oliver Nipples: She probably watches more TV or reads more than that every week. What's the difference?

Playing Devil's advocate: reading or watching TV are not as "exclusive" an activity as video games are. Have you ever walked up to someone reading a book to ask a question and were told "Not now! I'm in the middle of a chapter!" Video games can be seen much more as a solitary, I'm-ignoring-you activity - thus the feeling of abandonment by the non-playing party.

scottydoesntknow:Maybe you should try and get involved with his activity instead of acting like a passive-agressive biatch.

CSB: I kinda hid my gaming from my girlfriend when we first started dating. Never turned it on or talked about any of the games I bought because I figured she didn't care. About 3 months in we're watching TV and she asks "Why don't you ever turn on your Xbox?" I told her it was because I figured she didn't like it. She then asks what games I play and wanted to try one out herself. I had her play Mass Effect. She didn't really get the shooting down too much (has a bad habit of only using one thumb at a time, so she'd run forward, stop turn, stop, run forward, etc.) but eventually got the hang of it and fell in love with the story. She's currently a Lvl 37 Commander on ME2 and loves telling people that (She hates that stuck-up biatch Miranda). We alternate playing now, do co-op, she uses the Kinect to exercise, got into PC gaming a little bit, mainly playing Sims, but started playing Fallout: NV recently.

/CSB

In Lana (from Archer)'s voice. NEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWP.

A big part of what makes my hobby my hobby IS THAT ITS MY HOBBY. I don't want a woman to foist herself onto every aspect of my life. I need alone time and time to do stuff just for me. If a woman wants to get into game, buy her her own Xbox and hook it up in the bedroom... Alternating who gets to play what when is just annoying... And split screen games suck.

Meh, old complaint from a new shrew. Last time I read something like this the husband was playing softball, soccer, or something every weekend. Basically it boils down to a co-dependent biatch wanting every farking second of your time. He should divorce or beat her, because it won't get any better.

JustFish:My GF was a big gamer in the 2D days of NES / SNES, and can still kick my ass at super mario. She never figured out the whole change to 3D, went so far as to buy a N64 to start her at the beginning, but she just can't get into it, humps the wall in the corner on any FPS she tries.

She does however love good puzzle games, like Safe Cracker and Puzzle Agent 1 / 2

Can anyone recommend a couple good puzzle games from over the years?

Myst and 7th Guest are the obvious choices, but I'd like to find some on the consoles, I have the big 3 (PS3, 360, Wii)

it's not really a puzzle game, but when we have people over, even non-gamers love Plants Vs. Zombies.